When the Thief Calls Home
by JasmineDragon818
Summary: Aang didn't know that having his car stolen would lead him here. Now he knows there's something inside himself he needs to unlock, something that this delinquent can teach him to perfect. What else will this criminal teach him about himself and- ultimately- about love? AU, AangxToph romance pending. SECRET BENDING. Chapter 4 coming soon.
1. Rude Awakening

**_So, basically, this is another AU… call me obsessed and I'll immediately tell you that you're right… probably getting an F in math class right now, but on the bright side at least I'm practicing English XD_**

 ** _Anywho… my first Taang fanfic (for those of you who don't know, that's Toph and Aang)! It's been almost ten years since the show ended and I still don't know if I ship Taang or Tokka… #therealstruggle_**

 ** _Regardless, here's the fic!_**

x…x…x

It just wasn't his day.

Aang burned his toast so severely that he set the toaster on fire in the process. He forgot to do laundry the night before and he was down to his absolute last pair of underwear. Worst of all, he tripped over his cat Momo and ended up spilling his coffee down the front of his white work shirt. Cleaning up the mess took up so much time that, for the first time since he was hired, he was late.

Just as any other American employee would, he contemplated calling in sick; after all, if things were this bad at home they could only go further downhill at work.

Unfortunately, when he went to call his office, his phone was notably absent from his pockets. He scanned the kitchen table. No phone. Fishing underneath his bed and between the couch cushions only got him a few loose pennies and a whole lot of lint. Rummaging through his briefcase yielded nothing but a bunch of papers and donut crumbs. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find his cell phone.

"Great!" He yelled out, frustrated. He stormed over to his home phone, fuming, and punched in his cell number. The dial tone droned in his ears, but he couldn't hear his ringtone anywhere in the house.

"I'm so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stu—"

"Hello?"

Aang froze. The voice had come from the home phone. Someone had picked up! "Uh… hello?"

"Who's this?" The voice was female.

"It's, uh, it's Aang. Um… I think you have my phone."

The voice on the other end scoffed mockingly. "How do you figure?"

Aang, stunned by her sarcasm, rubbed the back of his head. "Why do you have my phone?"

"Found it."

The young man sighed in relief. Someone had found his phone and would give it back to him when he gave her his address.

"That's great… My address is 226 Maplewood Avenue."

"Um… good to know?"

Aang's smile faltered a little at the voice's confused tone, but he quickly dismissed it. "Where did you find it?"

"In your car." The voice replied.

Aang's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I-in my car? How could you have found it when it was in my car?"

"Because I have your car." The woman spoke as if stating the obvious.

"Why do you have my car? Who are—" It suddenly hit Aang like a brick. "Did… did you steal my car?"

"Yeah. Duh."

"Wh… Why?" Aang broke into a cold sweat. He peeled back the curtain from the window facing his driveway. Sure enough, blank gray pavement stared back at him.

The woman on the line snorted. "Are you asking me why I stole your car?"

"Yeah… I mean…. That's my car." He reached for a pen and a piece of paper and scrawled out "Remember to change locks and upgrade security system."

"You're not going to ask for it back?" The woman began laughing sharply into the receiver, making Aang cringe. "Look, here's a word of wisdom for you: a man who leaves his keys in the car with the window down does not deserve to own a vehicle."

Aang blinked. This was messed up on sooooo many levels…

"You realize I took milk money from kids like you in middle school, right? How old are you? Like, twelve? You're not even supposed to be driving. That's really irresponsible."

Aang's face burned. "I'm t-twenty-three years old!" He sputtered. "A-and I'M irresponsible?! You stole my car!"

"Then demand that I give it back."

"Look, I don't want any trouble." The young man massaged his forehead, hopelessness setting in. "You stole my car, my keys, AND my phone, and you're probably going to come to my house now to steal something else. Please, just come by and drop them off. I'll meet you some place if that's what you prefer. I don't even need to know your name. I won't press charges, but I need my stuff back."

Silence drilled into his ear.

"You know," the woman mused. "You have a really high voice for a guy."

"Give me my car please, miss."

"My name is Toph."

Aang arched an eyebrow. "…Nice to meet you… please, just give me my stuff. Meet me at that little coffee shop on the corner of Daymond and Hue, okay? I can walk."

"What's your name again?"

Aang rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Does that really matter, ma'am?"

"It does if you want your car back."

The grown man muffled the receiver with his hand and let out a groan. Why was this lady torturing him? All he wanted to do was call in sick and enjoy a day to himself. Was that so wrong?

"It's Aang."

"Last name?"

"Twinkle."

Long, loud guffaws echoed in his ears. "What the hell kind of name is 'Twinkle'?! What are you, a Telletubbie?"

"Ma'am, I don't want to have to call the police. Now please, for the last time, give me my stuff." Aang begged.

"Convince me, Twinkletoes." Aang listened hard to the woman's amused voice and recognized the familiar grainy sound of his radio playing in the background.

Normally, Aang would consider himself a very level-headed, compassionate, and amiable person. This woman, however, was pressing all the right buttons to make him want to explode. Anger bubbled beneath his skin. He couldn't even remember the last time he was angry.

Taking a deep breath, Aang filtered his words as carefully as he could. "Ma'am, I—"

"I'm twenty-two years old. I'm not a ma'am."

"Toph, I am trying my best to negotiate here. I'm tired and upset and this just isn't a good morning. Meet me at that coffee shop, please, or even here. Just… give me my stuff back."

"You asking me out?"

"No!" Aang blushed an even deeper red.

"Why are you so uptight? Haven't been out in a while?"

"Are you going to give me my car back or not?"

Toph hummed thoughtfully. After a few seconds, she clicked her tongue. "Nah."

"What?! Wh—"

A dial tone answered him.

Aang plopped the phone on the table and sputtered incoherently at it, trying to formulate a conscious sentence about how furious he was. No words—at least none from the English language—came out. When he had finally gotten a chance to catch his breath, he stabbed the buttons and dialed for his boss's secretary. Her voice made him feel a little bit better when she picked up.

"Hi, Ms. Kyoshi? It's Aang Twinkle."

"Aang! I was just wondering about you. Where are you?"

"I'm actually home right now. I'm not feeling well and I think I need to cash in one of my sick days."

"I hope everything's alright. What do you think it is?"

Aang's stomach twisted in knots as he tried to think of a recently spreading virus. "Oh, you know… flu… smallpox… fever, tremors… seeing spots… vomit, lots of vomit." It didn't sound convincing, even to him. Before he could continue, the call-waiting tone beeped in his ear. "Would you excuse me, please? I have another call."

"Sure, no problem."

Aang pressed a button and held the phone back up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Your air conditioning sucks."

The young man's eyes snapped wide open. He knew that voice. "T-Toph?"

"Yeah. How do you work your air conditioner? It's only blowing out of one vent."

"I'm on the phone with work right now. Can this wait?"

Toph clicked her tongue. "Fine, but make it snappy. It's hot in here."

Aang, flustered and way too tired to handle his current situation, wearily switched lines. "Hello, Ms. Kyoshi?"

"Yes, Mr. Twinkle."

"Can you tell Boss I'm not coming in today? I'll be there tomorrow, first thing."

"Well, I hope you feel better. I'll let Mr. Roku know. Get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids." Her voice was unusually loud.

"Alright, will do."

"A word of advice." Ms. Kyoshi was now whispering. "You could definitely use some work on your acting skills. Anyone could tell you were lying straight through your teeth."

Aang flushed. "Y-yes, ma'am."

"Have a good, restful day, Mr. Twinkle." Her voice glittered with humor as she hung up.

The young man sighed and switched back to Toph. "Toph?"

"Hey, Twinkletoes. So you said that this café is on Daymond and Hue, right?"

"Yeah." Aang grimaced at his new nickname.

Muffled talking filtered through the line before she spoke up. "It's got a green sign out front with a tea cup on it?"

"Yup, that's the one."

"You want your car back right?"

"Absolutely!"

"Then how come you're not here?"

Aang bolted up out of his chair. "Don't move!" He shouted into the phone before throwing it down onto the table and running into his bedroom for a clean shirt.

"If you're not here in five minutes, I'm keeping it." Toph's voice strained against the rustling of fabric as the young man tugged a T-shirt over his head.

"STAY!" Aang shouted out at her before slamming his door, not even bothering to hang up.

x…x…x

It wasn't a very long walk to the Jasmine Dragon, but it seemed like hours before Aang screeched to a halt in front of the door. He flung it open, nearly knocking the little bell off of its position above the entrance. Customers stared as the disheveled youth narrowly avoided colliding with a waiter bringing an iced tea to a patron.

"Jeez, Aang, watch it!"

"S-sorry, Zuko!" Aang apologized to his friend before scanning the room, his face hot with perspiration.

Soft murmurs echoed in his ears as his eyes alighted upon a small woman he didn't recognize with ravenous black hair tied up in a messy bun. As he approached her, he noted how her cargo pants were a size too big and her yellow no-sleeve shirt was a size too small. Flip-flops peeped out from under her pants and a stripe of milky white skin underlined her tank top.

"Toph?"

The woman turned around and her eyes nearly sent him tumbling backwards. Her irises were almost completely translucent, tints of green gleaming around her pupils.

"Y-you're…"

"Blind? Is that the word you're looking for?" Toph folded her arms and arched an eyebrow.

"Um… yeah…" Aang scanned her face for signs of offense, but saw none.

"Judging from your squeaky voice, I assume you're Twinkletoes."

"Yeah, yeah that's me." Aang stuck his hand out in a greeting and then immediately retracted it as he remembered she couldn't see.

"You just held your hand out, didn't you?" Toph blinked.

"Uh, yeah… how could you tell?"

Toph rolled her unseeing eyes. "Call it intuition."

"Excuse me for asking, but… how did you steal my car? Or… you know… drive it?"

Toph plopped onto a plushy chair and Aang sat next to her. She picked at her toes, unaware of how Aang was wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Twinkletoes, every professional needs an apprentice— you know, someone to pass the torch on to. In the criminal profession, an apprentice is normally someone that does the dirty work or bears the brunt of the punishment if a team gets caught. Since I obviously can't see, my pupil drove your car for me. He should be here right about…"

"Hey."

Aang shot up from the couch the moment his eyes met the tall, dark shadow looming in front of him holding two coffee cups. The man towered a good three inches over the top of the Aang's head. A thick line of stubble shaded his chin and jawline. Shaggy brown hair hung over his piercing brown eyes. An unlit cigarette was clenched between his teeth.

"Now." Toph smiled and stood, standing beside her companion. "Twinkletoes, this is Jet, a transfer from one of our allies. He's getting some tips from the master, yours truly. Jet, this is Twinkletoes." Jet nodded at Aang with a pointed look as handed Toph a cup and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders. "He also happens to be my boyfriend."

"I see. Nice to meet you, Jet." Aang went to shake his hand, but Jet only glared at it, causing him to drop it back to his side.

A heavy silence hung in the air before Toph cracked her knuckles and crossed her arms at Aang. "So, let's do business, shall we?"

Aang, grateful to have his attention diverted from Jet's intimidating gaze, turned to Toph. "Yes. I just need my phone, car, and keys back and I'll be out of your hair."

Jet held up a hand in protest. "Not so fast there, Twinkie. Criminals don't exactly take suggestions from people they steal from. We'll make you an offer and you'll take it. Otherwise, we keep it all."

Aang, suddenly extremely afraid, only had it in him to nod.

"Told you he's an easy one." Toph nudged Jet and snickered before snapping her gaze just below Aang's eyes. "Listen, Twinkletoes. Your car was an easy steal, but it's not big enough. We've got a lot of people in our gang and your puny Fiat isn't going to cut it. Pipsqueak couldn't fit in there even if we chopped his legs off." Toph swung her arm in a cutting motion and Jet chuckled. "We'll give you your car back and throw in your phone and keys just because you're a nice guy. But you'll need to owe us a favor. A big one."

Aang shifted his gaze from Toph to Jet, and back to Toph again. "Like what?"

"How much did you pay for your Fiat?"

After a quick calculation, he replied, "About 18,000."

"That plus a phone like this equals about 18,500." The blind woman dangled her victim's phone in front of his eyes. "That, plus about 500 for our trouble, should equal 19,000. We're fair people, so we'll deduct money for everything that you do for our gang. We'll add money if you screw up."

"Where did you guys train, a bank?!" Aang leaned forward and whispered sharply. "This isn't how this works! Look, I'll pay you two grand right now if you give me back my car and phone right now. We'll both walk away happy."

Toph giggled. "It's funny how you think you can negotiate."

Jet placed a hand on Aang's chest forcefully. "Consider your debt now 20-grand."

"But—"

"Think before you speak, Twinkletoes." Toph smirked. The young man shriveled up, closing his mouth before another sum of money was added to his fee. "Smart guy. Your first assignment's tomorrow, the back lot of this building. 5:00 sharp."

"Listen, I don't want any trouble—"

"Then we'll see you tomorrow." Jet fisted the fabric of his shirt and pulled him a little closer, a devilish smile twisting his face. Aang shuddered.

"Tomorrow." He murmured in reply.

Jet released him and snuck his arm back around Toph. The woman stepped away from Aang, a grin also on her lips. "See you then, Twinkletoes."

Aang watched helplessly as the pair walked out of the café, both looking heinously innocent. But somehow he couldn't take his eyes off the short woman who was laughing so sweetly at her boyfriend as they walked down the street.

How could a blind girl half his size be so intimidating? And more importantly, how did the day go so wrong?

 ** _So that's chapter one!_**

 ** _I'm probably making this a three or four part fic. I wasn't planning on it (this was actually supposed to be a drabble, but as I wrote it evolved into something way more interesting). Let's see how far this goes!_**

 ** _I super-duper appreciate your comments, likes, and favorites. Please continue to respond! I love feedback!_**

 ** _Until then, Keep Calm, Leaf On._**


	2. The Distraction

**_To anybody reading this, thank you so much! It means a lot, comments or no comments, favorites or no favorites :) And to those of you who do comment, thank you ten times over! :D_**

 ** _Without further ado, here's Chapter Twooooo!_**

The walk home was one of shame.

He had failed in getting his car back, and the fact that he now owed a pair of criminals twenty-thousand dollars made his stomach flip and flop to the rhythm of his shoes on the concrete.

Typically, when one was thrown into such a situation, one would instinctually call the police. However, even the thought of picking up a phone made the hair on Aang's arms stand at attention. It wasn't like his new superiors would know if he reported them or anything… unless they were tracking him.

Even thinking of their names caused him to send a prayer spiraling up to every holy being he could think of, just to be on the safe side. Two seemingly ordinary young adults were quietly heads of a secret network of gangs, and now he owed them. There were no physical threats involved, but it wouldn't be wise to press for any. Who knew how bloodthirsty these people really were?

Perhaps he was overreacting.

Perhaps, if he simply called the authorities, his monetary captors would give up on him and go after some other non-confrontational male soprano.

Perhaps he could move to India and open a curry shop under an assumed name. An unlikely, but appealing thought.

When Aang was stressed, he had certain methods for calming down. However, neither soaking in a hot, steamy bubble bath nor sipping on his favorite relaxing chamomile tea seemed to soothe his nerves. The young man wearily plopped into his brown leather armchair, a strange, uncomfortable mix of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty churning in his stomach.

There was something else in his foggy mind, though, that wasn't completely unwelcome. It was a strange sensation, one that he could not quite identify. It felt… daring? Such a word would never in a million years be used to describe him as his normal self, but something was causing his heart to pulse in a feverish way. This pitted feeling was strangely invigorating, inspiring… and actually kind of cool.

 _You, Aang Twinkle, are now a criminal's apprentice._

Even in his own mind, it sounded like a complete bold-faced lie (which it partly was), but the underlining reality of it gave him shiver. There was power in those words. It was kind of like saying that he had been locked up in prison for a day: it was dangerous, mysterious, and even edgy. Pretty much everything he wasn't.

It wasn't true, of course. He was probably going to run errands for them—buy some cigarettes for Jet, be dragged through a shopping mall to get a bra for Toph, or drive all their cronies to a party on the other side of town—borderline risky stuff that was only wrong by association.

The underlining adrenaline wasn't strong enough, though, to keep him from wanting to dive under the couch and hide away forever. Suddenly, every wailing police car passing through the neighborhood was on the hunt for him; everything he touched became a buffet of fingerprints for investigators; even his phone's cameras became exceedingly suspicious.

Trying to cling to that hopeful thought that all would be well, Aang tossed and turned into a fitful sleep, dreading tomorrow.

x…x…x

 _"_ _Wake up, baby cheeks."_

 _Aang's eyes flickered open at the sound of a female voice, a voice he knew and loved. He smiled dreamily. Tilting his head to the right, he found Katara, his beloved wife, staring up at him with white sheets draping over her shoulders to hide her bare skin._

 _"_ _I don't wanna wake up, boo." Aang murmured sleepily, but snaked his arm around her mocha-colored middle and pulled her against him._

 _"_ _We have to get to work." Katara giggled, nuzzling his cheek with her nose. "Besides, I desperately need a shower."_

 _"_ _Then you get up and I'll watch." The young man winked, massaging his wife's shoulder._

 _Katara playfully smacked his cheek, and then sat up, stretching. The blankets slid slightly down her collar bone, barely covering her front. "Aren't you coming?"_

 _Aang's eyes glimmered happily as he reached out and cupped her cheek, gently guiding her soft brown lips towards his own pale pink ones. "Wouldn't miss it." He breathed tenderly, just centimeters from her mouth. His eyes slid shut as he readied himself for the impact he so desperately desired. As she gingerly grazed his lips, she whispered—_

 ** _BRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZ._**

Aang's eye snapped open, but darkness was all that he saw. Turning his head right and left, he struggled to find his wife, his love, his beautiful Katara.

Nothing but empty sheets and a whole lot of black.

Aang rubbed his face, a steady wave of frustration growing in his heart. His phone continued to buzz, but an overwhelming sadness, accompanied by embarrassment, left him staring at it. It took all of his effort to reach over, slide it off the mantle, and peer into the blinding-white screen.

An unfamiliar number stared back at him.

Hoping beyond hope that it was his beautiful (and unbelievably oblivious) crush, he slid the bar to accept the call and raised it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Come pick me up."

Aang's eyebrows furrowed. It definitely wasn't Katara. "Who is this?"

"Who else would this be?"

The woman sounded aggravated already and he had only said four words to her. Aang's breathing hitched. He knew exactly who it was.

"W-why do you need me to pick you up?" The young man sat up, the fogginess of sleep lifting off his shoulders as fear crept in. "And, uh, how can I pick you up when you have my car?"

"I have your car. Walk to Rubble St. I'll be right on the corner."

Before he could protest, or ask anything else from her, Toph hung up. Aang stared at his phone, perplexed. This was the complete opposite of what he wanted to do.

On the other hand, though, he really didn't want to add any more money to his tab. Or get shot.

With a defeated groan, the tired young man rolled out of bed and rubbed the crust out of his eyes. Dream Katara would just have to wait.

x…x…x

When Aang arrived at the corner of Rubble Street, it had begun to rain. He immediately spotted the short little woman hunched over against the wall, her shoulders slouched and her hood hooked over her eyes. Puffs of smoke shot from her nostrils, permeating the dense foggy air.

Aang personally believed that smoking was a disgusting habit, but he had friends, like Zuko, whom found it calming. Aang thought it was the fact that actual smoke and fire were mingling in their mouths that made smoking so attractive. Other people, like Jet, just chewed on them but didn't light them. It was very intimidating to the non-smoker.

Having that cigarette clenched between her teeth made the tiny lady in the green raincoat look menacing in the dark, but as he walked towards her he noticed her hands quivering in their pockets. Her head was dipped low and he couldn't see her eyes. Despite her haughty command for him to come, her body language was screaming that she wasn't feeling so powerful.

"Toph?"

The gang leader didn't even flinch. "Took you long enough, Twinkletoes." She pushed herself off the wall and began to walk.

Aang, his heart pounding nervously in his chest, followed in her footsteps. Water seeped into his jacket as he sloshed after her. His bright yellow car came into view just a few feet ahead. Toph unlocked it, pulled the door open, and slammed it shut without a word.

Aang winced at her aggression and walked to the driver's side. He noticed a dent in the door about the size of his fist, but he bit back a complaint. He really didn't want to give a gang leader a reason to hate him.

Silently, the young man slipped behind the wheel, making a special point to avoid eye contact with the woman next to him. She already had her muddy boots propped up on the dashboard. Aang opened his mouth to protest, but quickly thought the better of it. Toph held the keys out to him and yanked her hand away immediately after he took them. Aang grazed his thumb across the Arizona license plate keychain. He hadn't realized how much he missed it.

As he turned the ignition, he glanced over to make sure Toph had secured her seat belt. She hadn't.

"Um… aren't you gonna—"

"No."

The headlights winked to life and the steady hum of the engine vibrated the seats. The driver, however, made no effort to press on the gas.

"What are you waiting for? Go." Toph scooted further down in her seat.

"Just because you're a gang leader doesn't mean you shouldn't care about what happens to your body, you know." Aang mumbled quietly before putting the Fiat into drive.

"What'd you say?" Toph raised a fist at him. Aang, surprised, jumped close to the door. The woman scoffed as she lowered her hand. "That's what I thought."

"I was just saying, you know, in case we crash…"

"Don't even think about it. If you do, Jet will bring your sorry butt out of the grave just to kill you himself." Toph folded her arms tighter around her middle upon saying Jet's name. "Besides, I don't care about what happens to me. I'd rather die young while having fun than die old and boring."

Unsure of how to answer, Aang pulled out into the street, a heavy silence brewing. The windshield wipers provided the only sound in the small car as he maneuvered them onto the main drag.

"So where are you taking me?" Toph asked, irritation a little less evident in her voice.

"What?"

"I said, 'where are you taking me'."

Aang gave her a questioning look. "Um… in case you've forgotten, you're the one who called me asking for a ride."

"Distract me."

"What?"

Toph rolled her eyes. "Do you need a hearing aid? I said, 'distract me'."

"But… from what? And how?"

"You'll think of something."

Just as Aang was about to explain about having to go to work in the morning, Toph added, "I'll deduct 500 dollars from your debt if you make it good."

Aang let his mouth slowly creak shut.

The young man, however, was not very knowledgeable about many adult hotspots around town. He was more of the type to stay in and read a good book rather than the type that hopped around clubs on Friday nights. His social life was usually confined to the Jasmine Dragon and work.

This led to the driver perusing the streets aimlessly in the dark. The occasional rhythm of the blinker as he made a turn did little to mask the silence.

"You're a real treat to be with, you know that?" Toph rolled her eyes, clearly bored.

"Well what do you expect? I'm not a big clubber. I thought a person like you would be able to figure that out."

The words had slipped out before Aang had even thought about saying them. His eyes slid to his right in horror, praying that the woman next to him wouldn't punch a hole in the windshield or—even worse—add more money to his tab.

Instead, Toph had a small knowing smirk on her lips. "Huh. So there _is_ some personality in you. Go figure."

Aang turned his eyes to the road, relief flooding him. He spotted an arcade on the corner, bright neon lights flashing. It amazed him that it was open so late… or, rather, so early, as it was now past 3:30 AM.

An idea popped into his mind.

"Have you ever been to an arcade, Toph?"

"Is that some kind of cheap shot? I couldn't play the games, dumbass."

Aang pulled up next to the building. "You don't have to see for _every_ game…"

x…x…x

"This is stupid, Twinkletoes."

Aang had ended dragging Toph into the building and towards the _Dance! Dance! Revolution_ game set up in the corner. Pulling out his wallet, he pumped four quarters into the slot and watched it come to life. As rhythmic beats boomed through its speakers, he turned to Toph.

"Here, I'll show you what to do."

Toph shook her head. "I won't even know what steps I'm supposed to be doing, Twinkletoes. I knew you were dumb, but not _this_ dumb."

"I'll tell you which feet to put where and when."

"That's so stupid."

"It's not like you could tell if you were bad, right?"

"That's not the point—"

"Look." Aang interrupted her, massaging his forehead. "You yourself said that you don't care what happens to you. If this is embarrassing to you, then you're not as tough as you act."

Toph turned her head towards him, and he saw her eyes for the first time all night. He could tell he had struck a prideful nerve. "I _am_ tough."

Aang pulled her towards the game. "Then, for the love of God, just get onto the freaking platform and stop torturing me."

Something flashed through Toph's unseeing eyes that Aang couldn't quite place. It was something like admiration, except irritated. He straightened a little.

With a huff, Toph felt her way onto the platform. She planted her feet a few inches off of the brightly colored arrows. He adjusted them, a little wary about touching her, and pressed the "Start" button.

"So, what song do you want?"

Toph leaned against the bar behind her. "What are my choices?"

Aang scrolled through the "Easy" options, all of which were familiar despite his non-mainstream preferences of music. "There's 'Teenage Dream', 'Burn', 'Happy', 'Dynamite', 'Don't Stop Believing', 'So What'—"

Toph's ears perked up. "By Pink?"

Aang squinted at the screen. "Yeah. Why, you like that one?"

"Yeah."

"Then I guess you're doing this one." The young man pressed the red button and hopped off the platform. "Now, just listen to what I tell you and copy it with your feet."

"If I mess up, I'm adding money." Toph threatened.

Usually, Aang would feel worried. But right now, as he looked at the woman in front of him, he felt strangely at ease.

As the first guitar riffs sounded through the machine, Toph began bobbing her head.

"Stomp with your right to the beat." Aang instructed. The woman immediately obeyed. Surprisingly, she hit every arrow perfectly in time with the guitar.

 _I guess I just lost my husband_

 _I don't know where he went_

 _So I'm gonna drink my money_

 _I'm not gonna pay his rent (nope)_

"Stomp right, stomp left, up twice, back once." The blind woman followed his directions to a tee, her head bowed in concentration.

 _I got a brand new attitude and_

 _I'm gonna wear it tonight_

 _I wanna get in trouble_

 _I wanna start a fight_

"Hey, you're really good at this!" Aang mused.

"Hey!" Toph instantly fumbled without his instructions.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Back, back, left. Left and right together— wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm dancing, Twinkletoes." Toph was dancing to the music without paying attention to the arrows. Her score was rapidly dropping, but she didn't seem to care. She was stomping and twirling on the platform.

"It's right, left, back and front together… Toph, you're losing!"

"This is more fun." The woman swayed her hips, attitude radiating off of her just like in the song.

 _So, so what?_

 _I'm still a rock star._

 _I got my rock moves_

 _And I don't need you_

 _And guess what?_

 _I'm having more fun_

 _And now that we're done_

 _I'm gonna show you_

Toph was now singing along, her eyes shimmering as swayed. She sang the words with power and confidence, and it made Aang want to listen. It almost sounded like she wrote the lyrics herself. It was everything she was.

 _You weren't there_

 _You never were_

 _You want it all_

 _But that's not fair_

 _I gave you life_

 _I gave you all_

 _You weren't there_

 _You let me fall_

As she sailed into the chorus once again, Aang could only stare.

That must've been why she was so apprehensive and desperate to be distracted earlier that night. Sure, she was being cold and rude in the process, but she had been so sad and angry when he first picked her up.

From how she was singing so hard, Aang could only assume it had to do with Jet.

Before he even knew it, Toph was tugging on his sleeve, her face eager. "Let's play another one."

And so, they did.

x…x…x

The two left the arcade an hour later with a large stuffed buffalo and five cents in tow. They had played almost every game in the store and thoroughly emptied Aang's pockets dollar by dollar. Toph was naturally lucky, winning 200 tickets at a time on the Winner's Wheel. Aang found he had a special knack for the jump rope simulator.

"Where to?" Aang asked, tired but happy.

"West and Sixth. I'm in Apartment Building five."

As they rolled back onto the slick pavement, Toph sat upright. "So what's your story?"

Aang tilted his head, taken aback. "Me? I…I don't really have a story."

Toph's eyebrows furrowed. "Everybody's got a story, Twinkletoes. If you were born, you have a story."

" _Have_ a story."

Aang stared ahead in thought. "Well, I was born in Arizona and raised by my grandpa. I grew up, got a job, and then moved out here."

"Sounds boring. Arizona, huh?"

"Yeah…" Aang sighed. "It's a great place. Rolling mountains, wide open ranches, clear air… it's a dream."

"I heard Arizona is all hot and dusty." The woman leaned forward a little. Aang might have been imagining it, but specks of interest were creeping into her voice. "And I heard the cities there are all gross."

"Well, thankfully, I wasn't anywhere in the city. I was in the more rural areas of the state."

"So you've got one of those 'I-grew-up-on-a-farm' types of backstories." Curiosity began to recede from her tone. She sat back and her finger wedged itself deep into her nose.

"Not necessarily." Aang spoke abruptly, trying to reclaim her attention (whether it was because he wanted to entertain her or he didn't want boogers in his Fiat, he didn't quite know). "We were in a small town, but it wasn't necessarily a farm. We had neighbors and we were all connected with each other in some way or another." He took a left on the road.

Toph paused thoughtfully for a moment, her finger still hooked inside her nostril. "You sound like you really liked it. How'd you end up in Seattle?"

Aang's face darkened. "My grandpa… died."

"…Oh."

Silence saturated the air once more. A certain heaviness Aang hadn't felt in a long time weighed down on his shoulders like a wet cloak. Memories trickled back into his mind. Memories of the helplessness. Memories of having to have the closed-casket funeral. Memories of the gang leader waving a gun in his face.

Suddenly, Aang's brain made a connection. The lowlife, evil, maniacal people that took his grandfather and scarred him as a child were all that he fought against since he was ten. It was why he was working where he was. It was why he contributed so much to the police investigatory department. It was why he protested against gun use.

And there he was, working for one of them.

The car screeched to a halt as the red light above came into view. Aang, shaken, looked to his right. The woman was gripping the dashboard, frozen stiff. The young man didn't even hear her laments. All he heard were the thoughts whipping around his head.

"S…s-sorry." Aang shook, his hands quivering on the wheel.

A few moments later, the quiet was cut by a small metallic click from beside him. His lips twitched as he realized Toph's seatbelt was now securely fastened around her waist.

The next few blocks were ridden in silence.

As he pulled up to her street, he exhaled. Now he could go home and get some sleep. Toph unbuckled her seatbelt and gripped the door handle, but didn't push to get out.

"Listen…"

Aang looked over at her. Her back was facing him.

"I… really appreciate tonight. I haven't really danced in… forever. I had fun." She turned her head a little in acknowledgement. "So… thanks."

Aang, surprised and genuinely touched by her thanks, only had it in him to nod.

Toph let herself out and turned back towards him, her body blocking the rain from getting inside the car. "Consider 500 dollars deducted from your tab."

"Thank you." He squeezed out.

A smile—not a smirk or snicker, a genuine smile—stretched across her lips. "See you, Twinkletoes."

And with that, he was left alone in the dark, rain pattering on his windshield. Emotionally overwhelmed, he drove home.

x…x…x

Aang didn't dream about Katara when he got home.

Instead, he dreamed about himself as a child, watching his grandfather crumple to the ground in that department store with a red wound drilling through his chest. He heard his own young voice shrieking for help. He felt the anguish and the terror. He tasted the corrosive saliva and salty tears on his tongue. But worst of all, he saw the face of the murderer.

And in his dream, that face belonged to Toph.

 ** _That's Chapter Two!_**

 ** _Hope you guys like it! More direct Toph/Aang romance coming up, but I wanted this to be a story with plot, not typical sap._**

 ** _Let me know how you liked it!_**

 ** _'_** ** _Til then, Keep Calm, Leaf On._**


	3. A Regular Day

**_Thank you to everyone who comments! The more you do, the more I want to write. Please tell me what your thoughts are by commenting. This probably is going to be more than five chapters… it all depends on the feedback I get. Sorry I took so long! The usual excuses (homework, life, illness, blah blah blah…)_**

 ** _Enough from me… here's chapter 3!_**

 ** __**The alarm blaring in his ear that morning nearly sent him over the side of his bed.

He hadn't been asleep, really. He was more in a confusing purgatory of slumber—he was dreaming frightening things, but he was fully aware that they were only nightmares. The night air was damp and cold until he bundled himself up in his quilt; then his skin would grow clammy and sweaty, sticking to the fleece.

When the sharp, jarring sound of his clock crashed through his thoughts, Aang felt as if he would throw up. The exhaustion was enough to make him want to call in sick again. this time for real. He dragged himself into the shower, hoping to wash away the painful memories and physical residue from the night before.

As he shaved his head, it became clear to him that Toph had enchanted him in some way. In only one day, she had enraptured him. Her blind eyes, her infrequent smile, her singing voice. Her nonchalant attitude and easy-going personality made her seem relatively normal. She would actually be extremely attractive, if she wasn't a criminal.

That word left such a bitter taste in his mouth.

Toph was a gang leader that simply preferred a more undercover approach, one that enraptured her prey and tricked them into thinking she was actually decent. She was underhanded and stealthy, a tiger's cub that elicited his sympathy until he realized how close he was to being bitten by what she really was. She was a siren, an illusionist, an enchantress. She completely defied every stereotype of what a hoodlum was supposed to look like, but that was partly why she was so dangerous. She didn't have a lopsided Chicago snapback cocked on her head, nor did she walk around with her pants hung down around her thighs.

And yet, she was more a thief than any else, no better than the lowlife scum that took his grandfather away from him.

x…x…x

"Aang!"

All thoughts of his grandfather and of Toph completely vaporized in his mind when he heard the sweet voice he wished woke him up every morning.

"I was worried about you yesterday. I heard you were sick." Katara tucked a strand of thick brown hair behind her ear, a small, shy smile on her plump lips.

Aang tried his best to keep his eyes on her face. Her navy blue pencil skirt perfectly accentuated her figure while still leaving much to the imagination. Everything about her was lovely without being perfect. She wasn't skinny, nor was she fat. She was very polished, but playful and bubbly. She was attractive, both with her personality and her physique, yet she wasn't looking for attention.

Trim. Inviting. Humble.

Stable. Her stability was probably what was most attractive to him, especially now after such a random and chaotic night. She was everything Toph wasn't in the best way possible.

"Yeah, I was sick with the flu." Aang rubbed the back of his head, a flush of pink dotting his cheeks.

"I heard it was a little worse than that. Something about spots and tremors." One of Katara's perfectly sculpted eyebrows arched in playful suspicion.

"You know how gossip is around an office." Aang shrugged as he gave a weak chuckle. "It spreads like wildfire."

"Uh-huh." A quirked smile ended their banter as Katara handed Aang a slim folder. "Mr. Roku wants you to have these filed in with the Turner case. He says they are two more witnesses from the thrift store robbery."

Aang's happiness sobered as he took the file, but he tried his best to plaster on a fake smile as he looked back into Katara's ocean blue eyes. "I'll get right on it."

As he turned to leave, Katara caught his wrist. "Hey, Aang, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Shoot." Hope swelled in the young man's heart as he turned to face his secret crush once again. Her eyes were trained on him, but this time they looked sly.

"I was making a coffee run yesterday afternoon." Katara lowered her voice and dipped her head closer to his. Aang eagerly moved forward. "I found this really cool place, over on the corner of Daymond and Hue."

"The Jasmine Dragon?" Aang asked.

Katara's eyes lit up. "Yeah! That's the one!" Her lips contorted in a cheeky way. "I saw you there."

"Y-you did?" Aang's eyes widened.

"Yeah, with a short woman with black hair." She winked. "You ditched work to take a date day, didn't you?"

 _Short woman. Black hair. Ditched work._

 _Date._

"NOOOOO, no, no, no, no, NO. Ick, no. That's Toph. We're just friends well not even friends more like acquaintances actually not even acquaintances more like frenemies that don't hang out at all like ever."

Aang giggled nervously, hoping his explanation was convincing, but Katara's lips curled into a knowing smile.

"It's totally okay, you know." She stood upright again. "I won't tell anybody. I actually think it's sweet, letting her know your job doesn't mean as much to you as she does. I hope I can find a guy like that."

"No, no, it's not that! Really, I was sick! A-and she's just someone I met yesterday. I don't know if you noticed, but she brought a guy with her."

"Well, either way, I think it's sweet that you took time to see her. I'm actually heading back there after work if you want to come with. I'm meeting up with someone at four, but we could at least have a coffee before they get there."

Aang anxiously rubbed his bald head again. "Yeah, that sounds—"

 _"_ _Then we'll see you tomorrow."_ Jet's words echoed in his ears. If Aang didn't show up behind the building at five, a whole gang would be there to beat him up into a bloody pulp.

But, then again, this was a coffee date with Katara. He couldn't pass up the opportunity. If they had coffee at four, that would give him at least an hour to relax before having to meet up with them in the back lot.

"Sure." Aang smiled.

"Awesome! I'll meet up with you after work." Katara titled her head as her eyes drifted down to Aang's wrist. His light orange sleeve had ridden up his arm a smidgen, partially exposing a streak of blue on his wrist. "What's that?"

Aang yanked his cuff down, his face turning red. "It's nothing."

"What is it? It can't be that embarrassing."

"I-i-it's not embarrassing, it's just we're n-not supposed to show tattoos in work…"

Katara giggled softly. "It's not like I'm going to turn you in to Mr. Roku. I just want to see. Don't you trust me?"

Aang, wanting to prove his comfort with her knowing his secrets, slowly rolled his sleeve up to reveal the arrow with the words _Help Always_ scrawled across his wrist. Katara's eyes widened and her fingers stretched out to trace the ink. Heat shot up his arm from the trail of her touch.

"That's so cool! Do you have any others?" Her look of genuine curiosity melted him from the inside. He opened his mouth to respond, but she suddenly shook her head and closed her eyes. "Never mind, don't tell me. We can talk about it later." She straightened, her face becoming professional again. "Until then, Mr. Twinkle." Her voice glittered playfully as she walked away, holding her file close to her chest.

Aang could only watch as she glided away to her cubicle, mesmerized by her smooth stroll. He suddenly felt like a kid again, blushing and beaming and totally smitten.

He made his way to his own workspace, a fresh enthusiasm coursing through his veins. _Gosh, is she amazing or what? And we're going out for coffee! You smooth guy!_

He winced as his shoulder collided with the wall of his workspace, interrupting his internal praise. Perhaps he could save his sappy thoughts for later. The young man had somewhat forgotten about the file he had in his hands, but as he sat at his desk his face drooped.

Another case. Another criminal. Another injustice that he had to face.

Usually, Aang loved his job as a lawyer-in-training at R.L.F.S. (Roku Law Firm of Seattle). At this stage, he was only receiving calls and clerking files, but his first big case was hopefully on the horizon. His dream was crystal-clear in his mind: he would be standing before a black-robed judge in a huge room smelling of wood polish, his persuasive tone convincing the honest jury whom the guilty criminal was, and watching the gavel descend upon its circular mark and therefore sealing the end of a delinquent and the preservation of justice.

Aang's fantasies supplied him with the motivation he need to drive him towards achievement, and it didn't take long for his boss, the head of the firm Mr. Roku, to notice him. Aang had studied at the University of Seattle for his law degree and was ready to put it into practice. Starting from the ground up with a smile on his face, Aang worked happily, pleased at his ability to make a positive difference for people who had been victimized. His enthusiasm and remarkable talent was surprising to everyone and Aang sensed a promotion somewhere along the horizon.

Today was a little different.

Haphazardly thumbing through the Turner case, Aang's heart began to harden. Amazingly enough, he felt guilty himself for whatever crime he held in his hands. He had spent time—and had actually had fun with, much to his chagrin—a criminal that could have very easily committed the offense represented in the manila folder.

Tucking the file away, Aang breathed in and out slowly, refocusing his energy. Toph and Jet did not need to be on his mind at all, not until much later.

x…x…x

The day's passing was confusing to Aang. The more time he spent at work, the closer the hours drew to the end of the day when he could sit down and have a one-on-one, non-work chat with his crush. On the other hand, every minute that ticked by led him closer and closer to Toph and Jet.

There were very few calls. There was a man who rang in with a wrong number, and a woman who was wondering what Aang could do to get her another kitten since her other one ended up running up a tree and was carried off by a hawk. Being a vegetarian (and an avid cat lover himself), Aang was truly sympathetic towards the woman, but there wasn't much he could do since, as he reminded her, "This is a law firm". She hung up, mumbling about such bureaucratic goons.

Agonizingly slow, yet overwhelmingly fast, the seconds floated by until the clock struck three-thirty. Aang casually walked to Katara's cubical, his jacket already in hand. Upon seeing a note deliberately stuck to her computer screen claiming she would meet up with him, he immediately turned around and made a bee-line for the elevator.

The walk to the Jasmine Dragon was beyond euphoric. Worries about Toph and Jet receded to the back of his mind, replaced by visions of enjoying a hot cup of Joe with his adored coworker. Fantasies evolved in his mind of them having coffee every day after work, perhaps eventually even advancing to lunch dates, and then dinner. And when he proposed, he would do it at a beach, like the ones Katara had on her computer's screensaver.

Okay, maybe that was a bit hasty, but this was his chance! A chance to show her his worth as a boyfriend. A chance to be someone she would want. A chance to be a normal adult.

By the time he had stepped over the threshold of the café, Aang was over cloud nine with hope. The familiar bustling sounds of a restaurant seemed so ideally domestic. The clattering of plates, the hum of the ceiling fans, the whir of the coffee makers as they spit hot liquid into porcelain cups… it was the perfect location for a first date.

Wait.

 _Was_ this a date?

Aang was suddenly on edge, his feet turning to ice in his socks. What exactly was this? She said they could get coffee before she had to meet someone. That was dishearteningly casual. But then again, maybe she wanted to make sure he would say yes by making it seem as nonchalant as possible.

Aang glanced down. He was still in his work clothes— a light orange shirt with a white tie and black pants. It usually didn't feel uncomfortable, but now it felt like the collar was choking him. He loosened his tie and undid the shirt's first button to allow himself some breathing room. He rubbed his shaved head, smoothing down whatever inconspicuous peach fuzz was left there. He rolled up his sleeves a little, exposing the heads of his arrow tattoos. He glanced around for onlookers, then subtly pulled the chair positioned skew to him so it was now facing him dead-on.

Might as well make this as easy as possible.

Aang quietly observed the people around him to keep his mind occupied. Bits of conversation weaved in and out of his ears. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee beans wafted into his nostrils. Upbeat, jazzy music slid out of the speakers in a smooth rhythm.

The young man spotted Zuko a few tables over, setting a drink down in front of a man typing away on his laptop. As he stood to serve another order, Zuko spotted Aang. His good eye lit up.

"Hey, Aang. What's up?" He walked over to the young man and they clapped hands.

"Nothing much, I, uh… just have a date." Aang grinned smugly as he sat down.

Zuko flashed him one of his rare smiles that lit up his scarred face. "That's great. Who is she?"

"A friend from work." Aang shrugged in an attempt to disguise his excitement.

"Are you two official, or is this a one-time thing?" Zuko folded his arms in interest.

"Well, I don't think we're _dating_ , per se. This is our first time meeting up outside the office, so I'm not really sure what this is."

Two hands covered Aang's eyes from behind. "Guess who?"

The bald young man jumped in surprise, but a grin presently spread across his lips. "Hmmm… it's a wild guess, but I'm gonna say 'Katara'?"

"Who?"

Aang frowned as he concentrated on the voice. It sure wasn't Katara's. This woman had a sarcastic, mocking tone that wasn't nearly as sweet or smooth as his beloved's. These hands were cold and small, not long and warm like Katara's.

"Guess again, Twinkletoes."

Aang whipped his head around and could barely hold back the groan bubbling up in his throat. Zuko, a puzzled expression twisting his face, slowly backed away after assessing the awkwardness of the situation. He scooted off to help another customer.

"W-wh-what are you doing here?!" Aang sputtered, a strange mix of anxious feelings swirling in his stomach. He felt like he might throw up.

"I can't have coffee like everyone else?" Toph plopped herself down in the chair opposite of him and propped her feet up on the coffee table. She had only just gotten there and she was already disturbing the whole atmosphere.

"Please, I'm about to have a d—… meeting with someone." Aang pleaded. "I already dealt with you last night. Please, just let me be. I'll see you in an hour."

"Ahhhh, so Twinkletoes has a date, huh? Who's the lucky guy?"

If he had been drinking coffee, Aang would have spit it out at her.

"You mean you're not gay?" Toph's eyebrow arched at the silence. "You're more in touch with your feminine side than about 90% of the guys I've met."

" _Her_ name is Katara and _she's_ from my office." Aang glared at her while emphasizing the feminine pronouns.

"Haven't you heard dating a coworker is dangerous?" Toph shook her head.

"Look, I don't need this. I'm meeting up with a friend, and I don't need you messing anything up. I'll see you in an hour and you can do whatever while I'm there, but just let—"

"Aang?"

Aang jumped again at the sound of a woman's voice; this one, though, he had actually wanted to hear.

"Katara." He breathed, his relief evident on his face.

Toph's expression changed when she heard the woman's name, and a sickly sweet smile plastered itself across her lips. "Why, hello! You must be Katara. Twinkletoes has told me all about you!"

Katara's eyebrows lowered curiously, her small smile genuine. "Has he?"

Toph turned in the direction of her voice and Katara let out a small gasp at the sight of her clear white eyes. Aang wanted to hide under his chair, but all he could do was burrow further into his chair.

"Sweetie, why don't you introduce me to your friend?"

Aang's head snapped to Toph, appalled. Had she just called him… _sweetie_?

"I'm Katara Waterman." Katara extended her hand in response to Aang's shocked silence, but she quickly shoved it back to her side after realizing, like Aang had when he first saw Toph, that the woman in front of her was blind.

"Toph Green. Nice to meet you." Toph nodded, her sugary smile still fixed on her lips. The bald man caught the mischievous undertone of her words as she turned to him. "What's wrong, boo? Cat got your tongue?"

She and Katara laughed at her quip, but Aang sat frozen stiff in his seat. He didn't exactly know a word extreme enough to describe his feelings. _Angry?_ Nah, that wasn't the correct word. _Infuriated? Irate? Enraged? Fuming? Ready to pull out someone's nose hairs with red-hot tweezers?_ Yes, those were better.

"Aang?"

Katara's voice rang in his ears. "W-what?"

"I asked you if you wanted to reschedule, since you're obviously busy." Katara's lopsided grin expressed something that Aang couldn't quite pinpoint: it was something between disappointment and embarrassment.

"No!" The force and volume of the words attracted some irritated attention, causing Aang to drop his voice to an appropriate decibel. "Toph was just leaving."

"I don't want to intrude—"

"He's right, I was leaving." Toph smiled. "Please, sit down. I'll be meeting up with my boo later anyway. You two have fun." Aang thought maybe he had imagined it, but Toph's grin faltered as she rose.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Aang cut in before Toph could rethink her presence.

"I'll see you guys around. Well, not _see_ you, but you know what I mean. Later, Twinkletoes." She blew a kiss in his direction before ducking out, not even having to feel around for the door.

Aang didn't quite know how to react, so he settled for staring out after her. She casually rounded the corner, her eyes gleaming with humor.

"Your ears are all red." Katara pointed out,giggling.

Aang's hands shot up to his ears. Heat steamed out of them and he could have sworn they were smoking. "Heh, sorry. It's j-just a quirk of mine."

"No doubt brought on by your nickname." The mocha-skinned woman tucked her pencil skirt beneath her legs as she took her seat. "'Twinkletoes, huh? What kind of pet name is that?" It pained Aang to hear the playful interest leave her voice.

"It's not a pet name." Aang insisted, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"I thought you two weren't dating." A dark eyebrow rose.

"Seriously, we aren't. She's just being stupid, messing around. You know how friends are, always embarrassing you in front of important people."

A faint blush spread across Katara's cheeks and Aang suddenly felt incredibly sheepish. She was definitely important, but saying it out loud made him sound like a besotted schoolboy. Instead of looking repulsed, though, Katara looked flattered, and Aang felt himself relax against the back of his chair.

"Want something to drink?" The young man looked over her head to find Zuko. He found his friend pretending to wash a cup a few feet away, scrubbing while keeping a wary eye on the way things panned out from behind the counter. Aang waved him over.

"Well, this is a coffee date, so I guess some coffee would be a good idea."

At the word "date", Aang felt his already chili-pepper-red ears burn viciously. Zuko weaved his way in and out of the tables, a small notepad and pencil in hand.

"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. What can I get you?" Zuko's good eye snagged on Katara for a brief moment before forcibly shifting to look at Aang. His expression seemed impressed.

"Caramel macchiato, please." The bald man beamed, the tension melting away as pride swelled in his heart.

"You're kidding, right?" Katara's eyes widened.

"I changed my mind. Mocha chip frappe, please." Aang immediately corrected his order, despite not knowing what was wrong with it. "

Zuko stared at him in disbelief, crossed out his previous order, and jotted down the new one.

"You didn't have to change it." Katara laughed, her expression soft. "I said that because that's exactly what _I_ was going to get."

Aang felt his face turn the same shade of crimson as his ears. "Heh. Funny." His hand instinctually found its way to the back of his neck.

"Caramel macchiato for you, then?" Zuko looked at the woman before writing anything down. Taking her sweet smile as a sign of approval, he scribbled her order onto the notepad and nodded at the two of them. "I'll be right back with those."

As soon as he was out of Katara's peripheral, Zuko gave Aang a thumbs-up and mouthed "Nice job".

"So, I've been dying to hear about those tattoos." Katara leaned forward, the curiosity returning to her tone.

"Oh, right!" Aang was glad for the change in conversation. "Well, I have one big one that kind of branches off into a few small ones."

"Where are they?" Ocean blue eyes glimmered in front of him, drawing him in.

"The ones on my arms kind of twist," Aang traced his sleeve to demonstrate the winding pattern. "They go under my arms to my chest, and in the back they meet in a big arrow below my neck."

"Are they all blue arrows?"

"Yeah, all of them."

"Do they mean anything? I mean, a tattoo that big must mean something, right?"

Aang hesitated, feeling the cloak of sadness weigh on his shoulders. "I… I got them after my grandpa died. He always said to think of myself as an arrow, always moving forward."

Katara's face softened in sympathy. She reached out and touched his hand lightly in comfort. "I'm sorry. You didn't need to tell me what it meant if it made you uncomfortable."

Aang flinched at the contact, not used to having a woman touch him _anywhere_. "It's really no problem. It's been a while." His eyes shifted down to the arrows on his hands. Katara's eyes slid down as well.

Zuko arrived then, dropping off their drinks. He avoided eye contact with Katara as he set them on the table between them, and only muttered in response when he was thanked. He swiftly glided back into the kitchen.

"I noticed you have words on the arrows." She pried gently. "What do they say, if you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind." Aang's reassuring grin felt so natural despite the heavy topic. "The ones on my wrists say 'Help Always'. There are words on my neck one, too, that say 'Think Always' and the one on my heart says 'Love Always.'"

"'Help Always', 'Think Always', 'Love Always'… what's that from?"

"From grandpa. That was his life's motto." Aang smiled sadly.

"Wow." Katara closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat.

"Too much?" Aang's voice betrayed him as it rocketed into an alarmed tone much too high for a male adult.

Katara laughed a happy tinkling sound that melted the bald man in the chair across from her. "You're like a kid sometimes, the way you get flustered so easily. I think it's amazing and… really powerful." She smiled somewhat shyly. "I have a tattoo, too."

"Really?" Aang's eyes widened. "No offense, but you hardly seem like the kind of person to get one."

"Neither do you." Katara winked, sending red-hot shivers down Aang's spine. "Mine's small thought and I can't even see it without twisting myself around."

"What's it a picture of?"

"A wave, like the ones I used to surf when I lived in Hawaii." Katara's big blue eyes slid shut, a sigh escaping her lips. "Those were the days. The sun was hot, the water was clear, and the sand was soft. Everything was warm and inviting. Then I moved here, where it rains nearly twenty-four seven and it's almost always cold."

"Why'd you leave?" Aang pressed forward in his seat, forgetting all about the coffee he had ordered.

Katara gave him a sad sideways smile. "That's another thing you and I have in common: we both lost someone we loved, and now we're here."

x…x…x

That precious hour passed way too fast for Aang: every minute was a second, ticking away until the coffees ran cold from neglect. The conversation flowed easily and they exchanged small quips. Everything was so natural, so easy, that when Katara stood to leave Aang nearly started crying. It had been the longest anyone had talked to him in one sitting since… forever.

"I had a great time." Katara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the same one that popped out every few minutes. Aang desperately wanted to reposition it for her, but he made a conscious note to keep his hands at his sides.

"I did, too."

"We… should do this again, sometime. If you want?"

"Is that a date?" The words had escaped right out of Aang's mouth before he had a chance to think about them. Blood pumped to his face and his heartbeat resounded like a tom-tom in his ears. _So long Katara. I'm gonna go jump off of a bridge now._

The question had apparently surprised Katara more than it had surprised Aang and a steady blush crept to her cheeks. A school-girl smile wobbled onto her lips. "Well, I'm not sure about a-a date, exactly, but… we'll see how this goes?"

Aang's heart just about leaped out of his chest as Katara waved goodbye and walked out of the door. He caught her biting her lip as she disappeared around the corner in an attempt to keep her grin from breaking out.

It took all of the young man's strength to keep from pumping his fist into the air.

With a dazed, dreamy expression on his face that can only be described as puppy-love, Aang plucked the two half-empty coffee cups from the table and deposited them into the nearby trashcan. He stumbled out of the café.

 _We'll see how this goes… we'll see how this goes… we'll see—_

"How'd it go?"

Aang jumped three feet in the air at the sound of the nonchalant voice that would no doubt haunt his dreams for years to come.

"Toph! Jeez, you scared the hell out of me!"

"I'd say I'm sorry, but it's so funny when you're scared that I can't help but like it." Toph pushed herself off the wall and walked towards him. Aang felt the vague irritation she brought upon him slowly creep up his neck. "Have you seen Jet?"

Aang shook his head. "No, I haven't. Have you?"

Toph punched his arm. "I can't see at all, dumbass. When will you ever get that?" She sighed. "None of the gang has seen him either. Speaking of, it's time for your assignment."

"Fine. What is it?" Aang shoved his hands in his pockets, the old familiar feeling of dread making the miniscule hairs on his neck bristle.

"Come on." Toph began walking. It amazed Aang how steadily she placed her feet, stalking off without needing to feel around or grasp his shoulder. She was more independent and stable than he was. He followed hurriedly after her, hoping whatever torture she had in store for him was quick.

The walk was brief, only a block and a half down from the Jasmine Dragon. They ducked into a dimly lit alley. Aang instantly felt grossed out by the conspicuous evidence of mice among the smelly piles of trash haphazardly thrown into surrounding the dumpsters. _Why can't thugs be clean for once?_

Toph walked all the way to the back wall before stopping only about two feet away from the cold stone. Aang suddenly felt stupid for following a blind girl.

"Toph, I think you're confused—"

"Shut it, Twinkletoes. _You're_ the one who's confused." The young woman placed her palms on the wall. "Is there anyone coming?"

Aang looked behind him. "No, you're all clear."

With a devious smile, Toph slammed her hands against the wall twice, balled her fingers into tight fists, and raked them across the bumpy bricks. The wall shook slightly, and then, to Aang's utter amazement, began to move.

A rectangular slab of the wall slid to the side, revealing a small passageway. "Get in, Twinkletoes, before someone sees." Toph grabbed a fistful of Aang's shirt and hauled him into the hole. She ran in after him, and then did the exact same motions as before, this time sealing the wall back into place.

"What the…Toph, how did you do that?!"

"You can drop the games now, Twinkletoes. You can do what I just did." Her grin stretched from ear to ear. "And so much more."

 ** _Hope you guys don't hate me too much for using such tacky last names… they're the only things (hopefully) that are tacky about this._**

 ** _Please F/F/C!_**

 ** _~KEEP CALM, LEAF ON~_**


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